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The Supreme Court on Monday directed all states and Union Territories to submit reports within eight weeks on the implementation of its guidelines to tackle mental health issues and student suicides in educational institutions. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also gave the Centre eight weeks to file a compliance affidavit outlining the steps taken to enforce these directions, as reported by news agency PTI. The matter pertains to the court’s July 25 judgment, in which it had issued a set of 15 guidelines aimed at addressing the growing mental health crisis among students. During the hearing, the bench was informed that the Centre had earlier been instructed to submit a compliance report within 90 days. The court has now ordered that all states and Union Territories be made parties to the case and that they must file their responses within the next eight weeks. The matter will be taken up again in January 2026. In its July verdict, the Supreme Court had expressed serious concern over the increasing number of suicides among students in schools, colleges, and coaching institutes. It observed that there was a legislative and regulatory vacuum in India when it came to a unified and enforceable framework for student suicide prevention. To address this, the court had laid down 15 interim guidelines that will remain binding until proper legislation or regulatory mechanisms are put in place by the competent authorities. The bench had directed that all educational institutions must adopt and implement a uniform mental health policy based on the ‘Ummeed’ draft guidelines, the ‘Manodarpan’ initiative, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. It further ordered that these policies be reviewed annually and made publicly available on institutional websites and notice boards. The bench also noted that the Centre has taken preventive measures to address student mental health concerns. At the school level, the Ministry of Education released the ‘Ummeed’ (Understand, Motivate, Manage, Empathise, Empower, and Develop) draft guidelines in 2023, aimed at preventing student suicides. Additionally, the Ministry launched the ‘Manodarpan’ initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote mental well-being among students across the country. ALSO READ: IIM Calcutta Achieves 100% Summer Internship Placements With Rs 4.5 Lakh Highes The July 25 judgment came in response to an appeal against an Andhra Pradesh High Court order that had declined a request to transfer the investigation into the death of a 17-year-old National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant from Visakhapatnam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Supreme Court’s directions now seek to ensure that both the Centre and states take coordinated steps to implement its mental health and student safety guidelines effectively, marking a crucial step towards addressing the deepening student mental health crisis in India.
